I Can't Help Myself
by BlueBoxAngel
Summary: Paul and Jared. I love them both. I'm their imprint. What's a girl to do? Ellie Uley has been in love with Paul for years and the two finally admit their feelings when Paul imprints on her. Ellie used to date Jared before Kim but now Kim's gone and Jared has imprinted again. Follow them as they try to come to terms with the double imprint and struggle to adjust Paul/OC/Jared
1. Chapter 1

**Hello darlings :) My first ever Twilight fanfic! I'm not a big fan of Twilight but I love Paul. I hope you enjoy this! :) xxx**

Images of the girl writhing about naked beneath him; her nails raking down his back; his name falling from her sweet lips, flitted through Paul's mind. He yearned to get back to her, to spend the rest of the day claiming her, but he couldn't. There was a Pack meeting to attend to.

Sam stormed through the back door of the small, three-bed roomed house he shared with Emily; his imprint. His eyes scanned the room and he nodded with satisfaction when he saw that everyone was present. He had called the meeting on the spur of the moment but it was important. Things had been going on for too long, unnoticed, and he had reached the end of his patience with his pack. It was time to put them in their place and remind them of how things worked in La Push.

"Sam, can we get this over and done with? I'm meeting Kim soon." Jared whined.

Quil rolled his eyes at his friend.

"You're so whipped."  
"Hey! At least I have an imprint." Jared fired back. "When was the last time you got laid, huh, Quil?"

Grumbling, Quil quickly averted his gaze away from Jared and towards Sam; not wanting to see the smug look on his friend's face.

"Yeah, that's what I thought."

The Pack laughed. They were used to the petty squabbles and banter. It hardly ever escalated and on the rare occasions that it did, the boys were usually friends ago within minutes.

"Will you all just shut the hell up?!" growled Sam menacingly; earning him a look of disapproval from Emily.

She knew that something had been bothering Sam for a while but he hadn't confided in her. She also knew that it had something to do with The Pack, hence the meeting, but Emily did not believe that any of the boys deserved such attitude from Sam.

"Why are we even here?" Embry called out; his mouth half-full with the freshly baked muffins Emily had made that morning.  
"Embry, don't speak with your mouth full." Emily gently scolded.  
"Sorry." Embry replied, spraying crumbs all over an annoyed looking Paul who brushed them off back in Embry's direction.

Rolling his eyes, Sam rubbed his temples and waited for silence.

"This meeting is important so you guys better shut up and listen otherwise it's double patrols for you all for a month!"

That caught their attention. Every single person fell quiet. No-one wanted to have to do double patrols and they knew Sam well enough to know his threat was real.

"Thank you. I called you here for a good reason. It's about Ellie."

At the mention of Sam's sister, every guy in the room sat bolt up and began to pay attention. Ellie was well loved by The Pack; always had been and always would be. They were just as protective over the young woman as Sam was.

"Is she okay?" Seth asked; worrying emanating from the young wolf's voice.  
"Yeah, what's wrong with her?" Quil added.  
"Come to think of it, I haven't seen her today. Have you?" Embry directed towards Jake.  
"No."

His patience wearing thin, Sam shouted once more; his voice booming around the room and bouncing off the walls.

"Ellie is fine! This is about you ass-hats."  
"Aw, c'mon, Sam. No need to be mean." Embry pouted.  
"I want you guys to listen up. I'm only going to say this once. Stay. Away. From. Ellie."

Each word was accompanied with a glare. Sam was no fool. His sister had spent her teenage years in the company of The Pack and it had served to comfort Sam knowing that she was well-loved and well-protected by them all. However, he had not been blind to the lustful looks each member directed towards his younger sister, and he had not been deaf when they openly flirted and made suggestive comments. It was harmless fun, Ellie and the boys insisted. Nothing more to it. Sam had believed them.

The Pack mind meant that, when they phased, his wolves weren't able to keep secrets from him and although he had had to endure the mental images bombarded on him by the others, he had held back. Bit his tongue. Tried to remain calm. But thing were different now. Out of the other six wolves, only two had imprinted in the five years they'd been a Pack. This worried Sam. A lot. The others should have imprinted by now and with every day that went by, he was becoming more and more anxious. He didn't want any of the wolves imprinting on Ellie.

"Woah, what have we done?" Jake enquired.  
"The flirting needs to stop. Ellie is off limits to you all. I catch any of you acting too friendly with her and I'll ban you from Emily's cooking."

A groan of disappointment filled the air as Quil, Embry, Seth, Paul and Jacob voiced their objections. Emily's food was more than a life-line to them all and they would greatly suffer if it were taken away from them.

"Are we clear?"  
"Relax, Sam. We're just having some fun with her. You know we don't mean any harm." Paul finally piped up.

It was a well-known fact that from the moment Ellie Uley had turned fifteen she was desired by every boy in La Push. The Pack, all of who were older than her, except for Seth, had deemed themselves lucky enough to be the ones who got to hang around with her. Now that she was five years older and no longer a girl, but a young woman, their desire for her had increased further but they were all forbidden from being more than friends with her. Sam had said so and no-one dared disobey Sam.

Sam turned on Paul; staring at him menacingly. Out of all of the guys, Paul was the one Sam trusted the least. Paul volatile temper and reputation as a man-whore angered the man and he would not be at all surprised if he caught Paul trying to seduce his sister. Ellie deserved someone better than Paul. In fact, to Sam, Ellie deserved someone a whole lot better than she would ever find on the reservation.

"Shut it, Paul. I know what your idea of fun is and you will not be involving my sister in it."

Paul rolled his eyes but chose not to reply. If only Sam knew, Paul thought. Ellie loved his idea of fun.

"I'm giving you all fair warning. If any of you even think about imprinting on my sister, I'll kill you myself."

Sam was just about to dismiss the group when an after thought occurred to him.

"Especially you, Paul." Sam stated, glaring at Paul who did nothing except grin back at his Alpha.  
"Don't worry, I'll be a good little wolf. Cross my heart… you know the rest."  
"Paul!" Sam shouted, warning the young man.

Paul rolled his eyes and stood; sauntering off towards the back door.

"See you later!" yelled Paul as he exited the house.

Sam stood, fuming. Paul irritated him more than anyone else he had ever met. Telling the others they were free to go, Sam embraced Emily as he heard everyone leave with yelps of glee.

With her arms wrapped around Sam, Emily sighed and watched him intently as he stroked the scars that ran down the side of her face.

"You know, Sam, Ellie isn't a little girl anymore."  
"She's still my sister."  
"You know what the boys are like. They love. We all do. Just lay off them a little, okay?"  
"Fine." sighed Sam, relenting. "I mean it though. If any of them imprint on her, I'll tear them limb from limb."

* * *

Paul spied her just as he left The Uley household. There she was. Walking towards him. His breath caught in his throat when a gust of wind blew her scent over to him and he felt his wolf begin to claw inside of him; begging him to claim her again; to take her right there and then.

Suppressing his wolf's longings, Paul ran to the young woman and was in front of her within seconds. She had seen him coming, of course, and had slowed her pace. She could feel herself getting warm just from the mere sight of him; his tanned skin made to look even darker against the white of his t-shirt; his ripped jeans; his short black hair; his muscles. Everything about him screamed sex to her.

"Hello, gorgeous."

Paul's eyes raked over the woman in front of him. Although she measured five foot, eight inches, tall for a woman, she was still smaller than all of the Quileute boys and Paul towered over her with his six foot, three inch frame. His gaze fell to her long chocolate brown locks; her side fringe framing her face and her hair falling to her breasts. Her eyes were a pale blue and her skin contained only a pale tan; both signs of her adoptive origins.

"Careful, wolf-boy. You don't want Sam to hear you."  
"I'm not scared of Sam." Paul smirked.

Her scent was too much. He needed her. He couldn't have her.

Fingering the wolf charm bracelet she wore on her right wrist, Paul grinned widely.

"You like my gift?"  
"It's okay." Ellie replied; keeping her face clear of emotion.

She loved Paul. With every fibre of her being she loved him, but she also loved watching him squirm.

"It's okay? That's all you have to say?"

Paul frowned. He had put a lot of time and effort into finding the right gift for his girl. She wouldn't allow him to mark her and their imprinted status being kept a secret from everyone, Paul had wanted the gift to be a symbol; a clear statement that she belonged to him. To have her stand before him and act like it was nothing hurt him.

Pull yourself together! Paul screamed silently. She's just a girl. Stopping getting so upset!

But she wasn't just a girl. She was Ellie Uley. The only girl he had ever loved. The girl he had loved before he imprinted on her and the girl he would now love for the rest of his life. She was his and he was hers.

"Yep." Ellie said.  
"Fine." Paul ran his hands through his short hair; trying to look as if he wasn't bothered by her lack of enthusiasm and failing. "Really? That's it? No 'thank you, Paul'?"

Ellie laughed and lifted her hand to graze her fingers over Paul's lips. She stood on her tiptoes and moved in closer until her mouth was almost touching his.

"Thank you, Paul."  
"Better. Don't be mean to me, woman."  
"I'd never dream of it. Be a good boy and I'll show you how grateful I am later."

Paul watched her walk off towards the home she shared with Sam and Emily and sighed. Ellie was the perfect imprint and she was going to be the death of him.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello! :D Thank you so much for the favourites and followings. They mean so much! And a big thank you to RebornRose1992 for reviewing :D I've changed the summary because, as I was writing, I found the story developing differently and I've decided to run with it. I do hope you like it though.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Twilight or any of it's Characters. The rights belong to Stephanie Meyer. I'm just borrowing them :) I do, however, own my own character and the plot. **

**Just a little background information on the ages of each character in this story.**

**Ellie - 20 **

**Sam - 25**

**Emily, Leah - 24 **

**Jacob, Embry, Quil - 21 **

**Paul, Jared - 22**

**Seth - 19 **

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and be so kind as to review. Reviews = Love :) xxx**

**Ellie's POV**

I walk past Paul and into the house I've lived in my entire life. When our parents died, four years before, they left it to myself and my brother, Sam. It was a tough period in our lives, filled with loss and despair, but Sam had Emily to get him through it and for that I had been grateful. I, on the other hand, had found solace and comfort in Jared.

We ended up dating for nearly six months but it ended quickly when Sam found us in a rather compromising position. Not long after that, Jared imprinted on Kim and the rest, as they say, is history. I moved on. As much as I had liked Jared, I hadn't been in love with him. Thus, his imprinting on Kim did not bother me in the slightest. He had never been the one I truly wanted.

Hey, Sam. Hey, Em." I greeted them with a smile as I entered through the back door.

It was mid-afternoon and I had spent the night, and the majority of the morning, in Paul's bed; not that anyone knew about my whereabouts. I had begged Paul to keep the imprint a secret for Sam's sake and he agreed; knowing that my brother would never approve despite the high regard The Pack held for imprinting.

Pulling a box of cereal out of the cupboard, I grabbed a bowl and the milk from the fridge and made myself the easy meal. A lack of food in Paul's house had left me feeling incredibly hungry and the cereal was heaven to my empty stomach.

"Have the boys been here?" I ask as I survey the crumb covered floor.  
"Pack meeting." Sam states simply.

From the glance Emily gives him, I suspect that there was more to the Pack meeting than Sam is letting on. However, rather than pry, I keep my questions to myself and carry on eating my cereal.

"That's a pretty bracelet." I hear Emily say.

With the spoon half way to my mouth, I look down at the bracelet on my wrist and back up to smile at Emily as I cover the spoon with my mouth.

"Where did you get it?"

I sit and slowly munch on my food; wanting to buy myself some time before I answered Emily.

Paul had left the bracelet on the bedside table, while I was sleeping, when he went off to start his morning patrol. I had woken to find it there with a small, handwritten note from Paul; telling me that the gift was for me and that I was expected to wear it and never take it off. I knew from the moment I set eyes on it, with its many silver wolves, that it was Paul's way of branding me and I didn't mind. I was, after all, his imprint.

"Port Angeles."  
"It's beautiful. I like the wolves." Emily grinned.  
"So do I." I smirked back; seeing Sam roll his eyes at me.

I'm sure both Sam and Emily understood the subtext of my words. I had grown up knowing the legends of the Quileute's and had spent many years around the boys of The Pack. I was one of the few people outside of The Pack who knew about the existence of the wolves; ever since Sam phased in front of me and injured Emily five years before.

I had always had a soft spot for those in The Pack; affectionately referring to them as 'my boys'. All except for Leah, of course, who was both a wolf and my best-friend.

"Are we still on for the bonfire tonight?" I ask as I wash and clear away my bowl.  
"Yeah. Billy and Sue are bringing some food. That should help with feeding our small army." Emily laughed.

I laugh as well. The boys eat more than should be humanly possible due to their wolf appetites and with the bonfire taking place that tonight, I knew that me and Emily would be spending the rest of the day in the kitchen cooking up a storm.

**Paul's POV**

I watch her from the other side of the room, careful not to stare too much in case I attract too my attention. But damn it, she's just too hard to resist. The pull of the imprint is just too strong and before I know it, I'm standing behind her; breathing in her scent.

Her back stiffens. She knows it's me. She turns around and gives me a dazzling smile.

"Paul, get out of my kitchen." I hear Emily shout from behind me; her tone not at all matching her scolding.

Ellie's body is so close to mine that we're almost touching and I can feel my wolf going crazy inside of me. It wants to be let out. It wants to touch her. I suppress my longing. This isn't the time or the place.

"I'm going to go shower." Ellie states.

I let out a smirk and raise an eyebrow at her.

"Need some help?" I ask her as she walks away; past the other guys in the room and down the hall towards the stairs.  
"Not from you." she grins back before disappearing.

I hear a roar of laughter and I turn my head to see Embry, Quil and Jacob clutching their sides. Glaring at them, I pop myself down on the sofa.

"You have no chance, Paul. That girl is way out of your league!" Embry calls out.  
"Yeah, the only one who ever had a chance with her was Jared and we all know how that turned out." Quil added.

I glare at them once more. I don't need to be reminded of Ellie's past relationship with my best-friend. My mind had been filled with Jared's memories of Ellie on more occasions that I'd have liked and each one had felt like a punch in the gut. He may have been my best-friend and he may have an imprint, meaning he was no longer interested in Ellie, but that didn't stop me from getting pissed every time I thought about how he had kissed her first. How she had been his long before she was mine.

"Shut the fuck up, Quil!"  
"Oh my god, do you remember when Sam caught them fu-"  
"I said, shut the fuck up!"

I was standing now, yelling; my entire body shaking violently. Rage poured through my veins. I didn't want or need to hear about how my girlfriend, my imprint, was caught fucking my best-friend by her brother. I remember that day all too well anyway.

I must have yelled a hell of a lot louder than I realised because within seconds, Sam was standing in front of me; shouting at me to calm down before I phased and tore up his living room.

His voice barely penetrated through my haze of anger. I could hear him addressing Quil, Embry and Jacob; asking them what had happened and I knew that I would have some explaining to do once I calmed down.

"Paul?"

Ellie's voice cuts through my mind and I look up to see her standing before me in nothing but a towel; her long legs and bare arms on show; her hair wet and sticking to her shoulders. Even in my furious state, I can't help but become aroused.

Her hands are on my face in seconds; her wet palms drying quickly under the heat of my skin. Her touch is soothing and I can already feel myself begin to calm before she even speaks.

"What is it? What's wrong? You're shaking. Paul, calm down."

It's as if my rage is a switch and she's managed to turn it off with just a few words. Inside me, my wolf settles down; no longer angry over Quil's words; happy that Ellie is near.

"I'm sorry." I mumble.

Once I'm sure I won't phase, I lift my eyes to hers and see the worry that's filling them. Shit. I did that. I made her worry. Sensing Sam's glare, I shifted my focus and saw him glaring at me. If looks could kill, I'd be a dead man.

Ellie gently removed her hands from face and walked past me. I turned to see her staring angrily at Embry, Quil and Jacob; all three cowering before her.

"What the hell happened?!"  
"Ellie…"  
"Shut it, Black! I know one of you did something to set Paul off. Who was it?"

Silence. No-one spoke. The way Ellie was glowering at them made me proud to call her mine. Her temper was beautiful as long as I wasn't on the receiving end of it.

"Oh, now you're all quiet. Fine then. How about I start spilling secrets until someone tells me what happened? How about you, Embry? I'm sure Jared would love to know about the time you tried to kiss me when we were dating. He might have Kim now but I don't think he'd be too happy about that little piece of information?"

"You did what?!" I hear both myself and Sam shoot at Embry.

I pay no attention to the look Sam shoots me as he registers my outburst. How did I not know about this. Ellie's right. Even now, Jared would be pissed. Hell, I'm pissed!

"You wouldn't dare." Embry says, open mouthed.  
"Oh, I would."  
"It was Quil." Embry mutters. "He was teasing Paul."  
"Teasing Paul about what?"  
"About you… and Jared. He was saying that Paul doesn't stand a chance with you and…"

Ellie cuts him off and Embry instantly closes his mouth. Ellie's temper is famous. Almost as famous as mine. You'd have to be insane to mess with her. From the way her body had stiffened, I can tell that she's furious and I want nothing more than to wrap my arms around her and hold her until she's calm again.

"Quil Ateara! What the hell gives you the right to say such things?!" Ellie shouts as she continuously slaps hard against Quil's chest, arms and head.

Quil is trying to defend himself; his arms held protectively over his body. I know, he knows, we all know it; he could easily stop Ellie from hitting him but he daren't. Sam would be on him the instant he laid a finger on Ellie. Not to mention I'd tear him to pieces myself.

"I'm sorry, Elle. I was just messing. I didn't know he was going to get so pissed off about it."

With her hands now on her hips and Quil pouting like a child, I watch Ellie glare at all three guys. Fuck, it's hot when she stands like that.

"If any of you say such things again, I'm going to stop feeding you!"

It seems the argument is over when Ellie stomps off back upstairs. Every cell in my body is yelling at me to go after her but I can't.

"You three…" Sam points to Jacob, Quil and Embry who all are stood, silently. "Out. Now."

His tone is full of warning and authority and the others scarper away quickly. I'm left with Sam who is staring at me; eyeing me with mistrust. I can almost see the steam coming off him as his mind tries to make sense of what has just occurred.

"Paul…"

I can tell that he wants to say more but he doesn't. Whatever he had intended on saying to me never arrives. Instead, his expression softens slightly.

"Get out of here and for god's sake, control yourself. I don't need you losing your temper tonight."

* * *

**Ellie's POV**

"Ellie! Get your damn fine ass out here!" I hear Jared call from just outside the doorway.

I roll my eyes and carry the tray of sandwiches outside where everyone is gathered; sitting together on chairs, cushions, logs; anything that can be used as a seat. The bonfire will be lit once it gets dark enough but for now, we're all just content to eat and drink together.

There are a lot of us. Sam, Emily, Leah, Seth, Jared, Kim, Embry, Jake, Billy, Paul, Quil, Sue Clearwater and myself. We're scattered around but still close enough to hear one another speak. For once, it's a warm day and I've taken advantage of that by wearing my short denim shorts and a white vest top.

I hear the boys fall silent as I make my appearance and I chuckle lightly when I see their ogling faces. I've become accustomed to it over the years and I've done my fair share of staring at their own toned bodies.

I smile at Kim as I pass her. I like Kim. She's a sweet girl. I suspect that my past and closeness to Jared makes her feel uncomfortable but I've made every effort to make it clear that I think of Jared as a friend. In fact, next to Leah, he's my closest friend.

"Jared Cameron, leave my ass out of this." I smirk.  
"Never." he winks at me and I roll my eyes once again. He's such a flirt.

I place the tray on the picnic table and instantly there are hands everywhere, grabbing at the sandwiches. Within a minute, the tray is empty. Damn wolf appetites. I catch Jared shoving a sandwich whole into his mouth and frown.

"You're a pig, Jared."

He oinks at me and I shoot him a glare that quickly forms into a grin. I couldn't stay mad at him even if I wanted to.

"Well then, I'd better go more some more sandwiches." I sigh, picking the tray back up.  
"I'll come help." Emily states.  
"No, Em. Stay here. I'll do it."

I flash her a smile and as quick as lightning I'm bounding back towards the house.

**Paul's POV**

She's flirting. Flirting! With my best-friend! Does she have any idea what she's doing to me?!

When she heads off back to the house I hear Quil speak.

"I told you, didn't I? Jared's the only one of us she'd ever go for."

I throw my half eaten sandwich at him and it hits him squarely in the face before falling into his lap. Everybody laughs at the dumbfounded look on his face and I storm off; not wanting to give Sam a chance to reprimand me.

I reach the house in seconds; closing the back door behind me as I enter. I cross the kitchen in only a few strides and wrap my arms around Ellie's; pulling her back flush against my chest. Her body fits mine so perfectly and I sigh with contentment.

"Paul?"

She sounds concerned. I nuzzle my face into the crook of her neck; my jealousy washing away with every second I spend holding her. I'm not one for affection, having always been known as the player of La Push, but Ellie is different; she's the exception. I'm a different guy when I'm with her.

"Paul?"

I grip her tightly when I feel her trying to break my hold on her. Not yet, just more minute. That's all I need.

"What's wrong?"  
"Nothing."  
"Don't lie to me. I'm not one of your one-night stands, Paul. I'm your imprint. Tell me what's wrong."

I sigh and finally remove my hands from her body; instantly feeling the emptiness it brings. She faces me; her eyes burning into my own. Keeping my mouth shut, I storm out of the house and rejoin the group.

When Ellie joins us a few minutes later, with another tray of sandwiches, she avoids my gaze. I groan quietly to myself. I don't know why I pushed her away. My jealousy always gets the best of me where she's concerned.

* * *

**Ellie's POV**

It's dark now. The light and heat from the bonfire makes everyone's faces glow. Billy and Sue have retreated back into their homes, Kim has returned back to Forkes and the rest of us have been left to enjoy the music and the seemingly endless supply of alcohol. Technically speaking, me and Seth are too young too drink but that doesn't stop us. Besides, it would take a hell of a lot of alcohol to get Seth drunk. Unlike myself, I think.

Already I can feel the alcohol working it's way through my system. I'm such a light-weight. However, I highly doubt that my thin frame helps things. From the corner of my eye, I can see Quil and Embry play fighting, whilst Sam and Emily cuddle. On the other side, Seth and Leah are talking with Paul. I can only imagine how Leah's feeling. Although she's four years older than me, Leah has been my best-friend for years and I still remember the day my brother broke her heart.

Of course, it wasn't his fault. Imprinting is difficult to break, I understand that now that I'm with Paul, but it doesn't stop me from being sympathetic to Leah's feelings.

I'm lost in my thoughts when a pair of hands grip my hips and begin to move against me in rhythm to the fast beat of the music. Automatically, I know who is holding me and I yelp when Jared spins me around to face him. My arms hook around his neck and we fall into an easy rhythm. He's grinning widely and I laugh when he dips his head to my neck and starts rubbing his nose up and down. It tickles beyond belief.

"Jared, stop! It- It tickles."

My sides are beginning to ache from laughing so hard but he doesn't relent.

"Jared…please…" My words come out in pants between the laughter.  
"Not on your life, my little jelly baby."

He nips my neck with his teeth and I freeze. He hasn't called me Jelly Baby in years. It was his nick-name for me when we were dating and he hasn't once uttered it in nearly four years. For a second, I wonder why he would call me such a thing but more important thought cross my mind. He shouldn't be biting me. I'm not his imprint. I'm Paul's. Even though Jared doesn't know that, I still belong to Paul.

Pushing Jared away from me, I take a couple of steps back so there's a reasonable distance between us. He looks at me with hurt in his eyes and I sigh unhappily.

"Ellie, I'm sorry…"

Jared takes a step towards me; his hand held out to stroke my face. Within seconds, Paul is at my side and Sam, I can see, is stood staring at us.

"Back off, Jared." Paul growls.

Jared looks as if he wants to say more but he closes his mouth and leaves. Paul is so close to me that when Jared leaves, I feel his entire body relax and he flings his arm around my shoulder.

"Are you okay?"

I know that Paul is pissed. I can see it in his eyes; they're almost black with anger.

"I'm fine."

I don't push his arm away even though everyone is looking at us. In that moment, I need him close to me. The events that have just unfolded have left me feeling confused and it is Jake and Quil who make the clearest sense when they speak.

"I thought Jared imprinted on Kim." Jake states; his voice full of confusion.  
"He did." Quil replied.  
"But the way he was looking at Ellie…"  
"I know. It was almost like he forgot all about Kim."  
"Is that even possible? Can you have more than more imprint?"  
"Maybe it's not an imprint. Maybe he just wants her."

Paul's body tenses up immediately. His grip on me tightens.

"He can't have her." Paul shouts.

Oh god. Paul don't, I silently beg. This isn't the way I wanted Sam to find out I'd been imprinted on.

"She's not his to want. She's mine. She's my imprint"

I let out a loud groan as everyone around me gasps. I hear Leah laugh, Embry curse and Quil let out a very audible groan.

"I'm bloody kill you, Paul Lahote!" Sam shouts.


	3. Chapter 3

**Hello again :) thank you for the reviews and followings. They mean a lot. I hope you all enjoy this next chapter and gift me a lovely little review :) I would like to know who you think Ellie should be with out of our two gorgeous wolves xxx**

**Jared's POV**

I woke with a pounding in my head and a mouth as dry as cotton wool. A groan escaped my mouth when I heard someone knocking on my front door and I reluctantly pulled myself from the couch to go answer it.

"Dude, open up. I know you're in there." Quil's voice called out to me, making my brain ache.

Reaching the door, I pulled it open and ran my hands through my short, floppy hair. Before me, Quil stood, smirking.

"You smell terrible, Jared."  
"Cheers."

I moved aside to allow Quil space to enter and shut the down the door behind him. My head continued to pound with every step I took, and I sighed with relief when my body hit the couch once more; my face squashed into a cushion while Quil stood over me.

"So… you going to tell me what last night was all about?"

Another groan. Memories of last night come flooding back and I bury my face deeper into the cushion in a bid to hide from them. I'm ashamed.

"I don't want to talk about it."

My voice comes out muffled and I don't need to look at Quil to know that he's still smirking at me.

"You don't want to talk about how you were practically dry humping Sam's sister?"  
"I was not!"  
"Dude, you really were and it was hot."

Lifting my head, I scowl at Quil. The knowledge that I had acted so inappropriately with Ellie filled me with guilt. It was the alcohol's fault. At least, that's what I keep telling myself but I know I've been drunk before and never acted that way with Ellie. There's no excuse for my behaviour.

Quil shoves my legs off the sofa and flings himself down next to me; his smirk now a wide grin.

"Stop smiling."  
"Jared, you should have seen your face when Paul growled at you. I thought you were going to cry."  
"Shut up, Quil."

Blessed silence fills the air but I know it won't last long. Quil is practically trembling with curiosity.

"Do you like her?"

Of all of the questions I had expected him to ask me that one had never crossed my mind. I turn my head to look at him and see that his eyes are wide with anticipation.

"Like who?"

I feign ignorance. I know exactly who he's talking about.

"Ellie, you dumb dog."

A low growl erupts from my chest as my wolf takes insult at Quil's words.

"She's my friend, Quil. Of course I like her."  
"That's not what I mean and you know it. C'mon, Jared, you can tell me if you do."  
"I have Kim. I don't need Ellie."  
"You still haven't said 'no'." Quil states; a knowing smile playing on his face.

Quil continues to stare at me and I can feel myself becoming more and more uncomfortable as the seconds pass. How do I tell him that things with Kim aren't working out? That she's so afraid of my wolf that I can sense the imprint breaking?

"I-"  
"Oh my god! No way! You do, you like her!"

I say nothing. There's no point in denying it.

"You know she's Paul's imprint, right?"

My mouth drops and I stare at Quil in shock. The idea that Ellie could be Paul's imprint is just too much for me to handle and I feel betrayal mix in with my feelings of guilt and shame. Paul has been my best-friend for most of my life and now I'm lusting after his imprint. This is wrong. So very wrong.

"She is?" I gulp.  
"Yep. After you left, Paul blurted it out. You should have seen Sam's face. I actually thought he was going to kill Paul."

I fall quiet for a moment and ponder on Quil's words. Sam had warned us only yesterday morning that he would kill any of us that imprinted on his sister and I had believed him. The memory of Sam's rage when he caught me in bed with Ellie still haunts me and a part of me feels sympathetic to Paul's plight. Sam would not be pleased about this turn of events.

"Is Paul okay?"  
"Yeah. Sam got in a few good punches but he backed off when Ellie started screaming at him."  
"She screamed at him?"  
"Hell yeah! It was damn hot. She started going on about how much she loves Paul and how she'll never forgive Sam if he forces her to break the imprint."

Hearing Quil say that Ellie loves Paul causes a pain in my chest; one that I know shouldn't be there. Avoiding Quil's gaze, I let my head fall into my hands. I don't want to look at him; I don't want to look at anyone. For some reason, I can feel my wolf itching to be set free; wanting to run away from the despair it's experiencing.

Quil must have noticed the change in my emotions because suddenly my back feels heavy with the weight of one of his arms as he pats my back.

"Jared, c'mon, mate. What's wrong?"  
"Nothing."  
"Jared-"  
"I'm fine, Quil. I'm just hung-over. Now leave me alone!" I snap; grabbing him by his t-shirt and man handling him towards the front door.

He does not struggle as I push him out of the door. He only turns and smiles at me.

"You are so in denial."

I let the door slam shut and hear him chuckle as he walks away. I glance at the clock on the wall and curse loudly. It's approaching noon and if I don't hurry, I'll be late for patrols. After last night, I don't want to give Sam another reason to be angry with me.

* * *

Finishing his patrol for the day, Sam phased back into his human form and dressed with speed. The events of the night before had left him reeling and he was furious. Although he had taken his anger out on Paul, Sam knew that deep down it wasn't Paul he was angry at; it was the spirits. He was livid that they had chosen his sister to be Paul's imprint. Ellie deserved more than Paul; more than a small-time life on the reservation with a wolf for a mate.

To Sam, Ellie was special. She may not have been biologically related to him but she was his younger sister and he would always look out for her; always want to best for her, and being an imprint was not the best thing for Ellie. She could be so much more if only she would be willing to leave. Sam knew that the pull of the imprint was incredibly strong and almost impossible to break. Almost.

* * *

**Ellie's POV**

Leah bounds towards me and flings her arms around my body, pulling me into a tight hug that restricts my breathing. Her laughter reaches my ears and I beg her to release me, which she does immediately.

"Babe! I can't believe you didn't tell me about Paul. How on earth did you keep that a secret?"  
"Hello to you too, Leah."

We walk along the beach, close to the edge of the water, our arms linked together as she continues to batter me with question after question. The smiling, teasing woman I see standing next to me does not fit with The Pack's image of Leah. The Leah they know is bitter, vengeful and a bitch. The Leah I know, the Leah who has been my best-friend for years, is kind, funny and sarcastic. Everybody believes she's something she's not purely based on the anger they see in her over Sam and Emily's relationship, but I see a different side to my friend and unlike the rest of The Pack, I understand her behaviour.

"How long have you been Paul's imprint then? I mean, I knew you were in love with the guy but imprinting…"

Leah lets out a snort of laughter and I roll my eyes at her. She has never gotten along with Paul and has spent years teasing me about my feelings for the guy. Add in her hatred of imprinting and it makes senses to me that Leah would find the whole situation hilarious.

"Two months."  
"Two months! Christ, you're good at keeping a secret. I never even smelled him on you."  
"I take long showers." I respond; providing an answer to the underlying meaning of her question.  
"Good. I don't want you smelling like him."  
"Leah, be nice. Paul really isn't that bad."  
"Yeah, yeah."

She waves her other hand dismissively before speaking again.

"I preferred it when you were with Jared. At least he's not a man whore."

I stop dead in my tracks and stare at Leah; the gentle breeze making my hair lightly whip my face. Pushing it out of my eyes, I frown a little at Leah's words.

"Paul isn't like that anymore and as for Jared…"  
"That boy is so damn in love with you it's pathetic."  
"Leah Clearwater!" I shout. "Don't say such things! Jared has an imprint and so do I."

Her brown eyes stare into my blue ones and I feel exposed under her gaze. Her face is free from smiles and her eyes are full of determination.

"I heard what he called you. Jared might have imprinted on Kim but he has always been in love with you. Last night…"  
"He was drunk." I hiss.

I storm off; my feet leaving footprints behind in the sand. Anger is bubbling up inside of me and I hear Leah call out my name, begging me to come back. She doesn't follow me and for that I'm grateful.

I reach the end of the beach and find a large piece of driftwood big enough for me to sit on as I wallow in my emotions. Between Jared's flirting, Sam's over-reaction to the imprint and Leah's insistence that Jared is secretly in love with me, I feel overwhelmed and give into the urge to cry.

The tears pour down my cheeks and I don't bother to wipe them away. I know that once I'm all cried out I'll feel much better. The roar of the ocean penetrates my ears. It's so loud that I don't notice I have company until a pair of strong, tanned arms wrap themselves around me, pick me up from my seated position, spin me around and pull me against their chest.

With my eyes still closed and my cheeks wet from my continued crying I don't look up to see who is holding me. A hand gently strokes my hair and a voice tells me to stop crying. The level of worry and love that radiates from the voice shocks me and I lift my head to find myself staring into Jared's big, brown eyes; his face frowning with concern.

My hands are wrapped around his waist and his hands are cupping my face; the heat drying the skin that was left wet by my trail of tears. As I carry on gazing into his eyes, I remember all the times we spent together both as friends and as lovers.

"Why are you crying, Jelly baby?"

* * *

**Jared's POV**

My hands are still holding her face when I see her shake her head lightly at my question. I had heard her begin to cry just as I was about to finish my shift of patrolling the reservation. The second I had been relieved by Seth, who had showed up to take my place, I was gone; pulling my cut-offs and t-shirt on as I headed over to the beach. It did not take me long to reach and the moment I did, I encased her in a tight embrace. Why was she crying, I thought.

Having her in my arms felt so right. Inside of me, I could have sworn my wolf was purring.

_Stop it! She's your best-friend's imprint!_

_**No! She's ours!**_

I grimace. Why is my wolf thinking such things? This isn't supposed to be happening. If it was, I'd have imprinted on Ellie when I first phased but I hadn't. I hadn't even imprinted on her when were dating.

_She's Paul's. Kim is ours._

I remind my wolf.

_**No! She's ours. Make her ours!**_

A growl escapes me and I feel Ellie tense up against my body. Her crying has stopped now but she still hasn't answered my question. Even in my confused state, with my wolf making senseless demands, I haven't forgotten about needing know what had made one of my closest friends so upset.

_Friend. See, friend. Not imprint. Friend._

_**Imprint!**_

Why is my wolf insisting that she's our imprint? Where was that feeling of being bound the instant I looked into her eyes? I had it when I first imprinted on Kim. My wolf must be wrong. It had to be. Or… had I just been so wrapped up in arguing with my wolf that I hadn't sensed the imprint happen? Wait, no! This is crazy.

"Please don't call me that, Jared."  
"Why not?"  
"It's not appropriate."

She's right. It isn't. I had only ever used that nick-name for her when we had been dating four years again. I had been so in love with her back then that I ignored the fact she didn't feel the same about me. Even back then, I had known she was in love with Paul and it hurt like a bitch. It had hurt even more when she ended our relationship but then, a few months later, I imprinted on Kim and everything seemed right with the world. Until now.

"I'm sorry."

She removes my hands from her face and takes a step back so our bodies are no longer touching. The breeze makes her dark green dress flutter; causing it to stick to her thighs and I can't help but cast a sneaky glance. Instantly, I know it's a mistake as memories of being nestled between her legs floor me.

**_Ours!_**

I pay no attention to my wolf and bury my desires deep down inside of me; turning my concentration back to finding out why Ellie had been crying.

"Why were you crying?"  
"It's nothing."

I sigh loudly. Why is she keeping things from me? She's one of my best-friends.

"Ellie, please don't lie to me. I'm your friend. Talk to me."

She doesn't answer me. Instead, she turns away from me and begins to walk back down the beach. I'm about to follow her when I hear Paul calling her name. I watch from afar as she finally meets him half way down the beach and embraces him with open arms. I should be happy that Paul has finally imprinted, he is my best-friend after all. Nevertheless, I can't help but be jealous.

Inside of me, my wolf is clawing away; scratching to get to the surface. I can feel it pounding against my body. It's furious. I can sense it. In my head I hear it growling so loud that it blocks out the sound of the waves crashing against the rocks.

_**She's ours! He can't have her!**_

_No!_

I scream back at my wolf internally.

"No." I whisper to myself.

I wasn't going to let this go any further. I refuse to be the guy that messes around on his girl or betrays his best-friend.

Pulling my phone out of one of the pockets to my cut-offs, I frantically dial Kim's number and wait for her to answer. I would prove my wolf wrong and I would fix things with Kim. After all, imprints are for life.

**Would you guys like some lemony goodness soon? Please let me know. I aim to please :) xx**


	4. Chapter 4

**Hello darlings. It's been a while. I'm sorry! Thank you to everyone who's reviewed, favourited and followed. It means a lot :)**

**Jared's POV**

I grew even more impatient as I tried Kim's phone for the fourth time in an hour. Each time I had phoned her, it had rang and rang until I was eventually greeted with her voicemail message. I knew she had the day off from college so there should have been no reason for her not to answer my phone calls.

I was beginning to worry that something terrible may have happened to her. When the familiar sound of her voicemail echoed down my ear once again, I sighed in frustration and flung my phone down on the table; causing Embry, Jacob and Emily to eye me cautiously.

"What's wrong with you, Mr Grumpy Pants?" Embry asked through a mouth-full of the chicken casserole Emily had made us for lunch.  
"Kim isn't answering her phone."  
"That's so unlike her." Emily commented.

I could hear the concern in her voice so I didn't need to meet her eyes to know that they would be conveying the same emotion. Grabbing my fork, I stabbed it into the casserole on my plate and shoved it into my mouth just so I wouldn't have to speak. There were far too many things playing on my mind and the effort of speaking was taking its toll.

Eating my way through my second helping of casserole, I froze when I heard Ellie and Paul enter the house. Only a few hours had passed since our conversation on the beach and, with her presence, I was instantly reminded of the conversation with my wolf and the real reason behind my phone calls to Kim.

"Hey, guys." Paul shouted, his arms wrapped around Ellie's waist.

They stood by the counter in the kitchen and greeted Emily who gave them a sweet smile and offered them some food. From the corner of my eye, I could see Paul accepting Emily's offer with a wide grin and kissing Ellie roughly on the lips before sitting himself down next to Jake.

Jake surveyed Paul with close scrutiny, stood, moved over to Ellie and sniffed the air around her. His strange actions caught the attention of Paul who glared at him.

"Dude, what the hell are you doing? Get out of my girlfriend's face."

With a smirk, Jake sat back down at the table and turned to look at Embry who, I saw, was looking as if someone had killed his puppy.

"Pay up, Embry." Jake stated simply.

A loud groan emanated from Embry and I watched them with curiosity as Embry reluctantly handed over a small amount of money to Jake.

"Pay up for what?" Ellie asked.

The mere sound of her soft, soothing voice was more than enough for my wolf to begin to rear it's ugly head and I silently swore to myself.

Behave!

Ours! my wolf snarled.

"We had a bet." said Jake; smiling as he pocketed the money he gained from Embry.  
"What was the bet?" asked Ellie.

She was eyeing Embry with suspicion and I was sure that Embry was remembering the last time he had been faced with a questioning Ellie the day before; a memory I was kindly shown by Jake when we were both phased. The Pack mind had its perks.

The knowledge that Embry had tried to kiss Ellie, all those years before when she had belonged to me, had indeed pissed me off to no end but I hadn't confronted Embry about it. It wasn't my place to anymore and so, I kept my feelings to myself.

"Ummm… nothing, Ellie." Embry mumbled; a look of embarrassment and guilt plastered on his face.  
"Embry Call…" Ellie called out.

The warning in her voice was evident. She was going to get Embry to spill the secret one way or another.

"It was nothing, honestly, Elle."

Embry stuttered out his reply, using his nick-name for Ellie, and hastily stood up from the table; waking backwards towards the door in a bid to escape.

Seeing Embry, someone I could personally vouch was capable of tearing a vampire limb from limb, cower under Ellie's glare was too much and I let out a bark of laughter. Next to me, Jake and Paul were grinning; obviously gaining great entertainment and enjoyment from Embry's discomfort.

"Just tell her, Embry. You know she's not going to let you go until she does." said Jake; his smile so wide and smug it consumed the lower half of his face.

I looked on as Ellie turned to stare at Jake; her blue eyes bearing into his brown ones. Embry used this moment of distraction to lunge for the back door and almost tore it from its hinges as he made his escape.

"Embry Call! You get back here you damn puppy!" Ellie screamed from the door way.

Laughter erupted from myself, Paul and Jake. Seeing Embry flee like a child was highly amusing and I fully intended on replaying that memory for him as soon as we both phased.

"Jake still knows." I pointed out, earning myself a glare from Jake for telling on him.

Instantly, Ellie rounded on Jake who shot up from his seat and edged his way around the table to put as much distance between himself and Ellie as possible. From my place at the table I could see Emily chuckling away to herself whilst Paul continued to eat.

"Jacob, fess up!" shouted Ellie.

She was advancing on him quickly and Jake stumbled backwards knocking over one of the empty chairs.

"It was Embry who made the bet. I just-"  
"Jacob."

Ellie's voice was no longer loud but it was full of warning. Her temper was as well known as Paul's throughout La Push but unlike Paul, who would resort to white hot rage instantly, Ellie tended to remain reserved.

Most would think that meant she wasn't angry. They were severely mistaken. There were tell tale signs that Ellie was about to erupt. Her voice would be steady and demanding; her posture would be tense and her beautiful blue eyes would turn the colour of a dark storm. If Ellie ever looked on you like that, you knew to ran and fast.

"Babe, leave it." Paul said as he walked over to Ellie and wrapped his arms around her waist.  
"Paul…"  
"Just leave it. I'll get it out of them later, I promise."

I watched on in amazement as Ellie visibly relaxed and allowed Paul to kiss her tenderly on the cheek. Jake took this opportunity to scarper. Good thing, I thought. I had only ever been on the receiving end of Ellie's temper once, when we were dating, and I had it a mission to never relive such an experience. I'm not sure Jake would have been able to handle it.

"Do you know what that was all about?"

The accusation in Ellie's voice was evident and I frowned. Inside of me my wolf was whimpering; wounded by the thought that Ellie suspected I had something to do with the bet between Embry and Jake.

"Nope. It's nothing to do with me."

Following Embry and Jake's lead, I left Emily's house quickly. I didn't stick around long enough to know if Ellie said anything more. Seeing Paul standing with his arms protectively wrapped around Ellie had sent both my sense of guilt and jealousy into overdrive.

I tried dialling Kim's number one more time and again was met with her voicemail. Why the hell wasn't she answering?

Heading over to Leah's house, I knocked politely and ignored the scowl she gave me when I asked if I could borrow her truck. Eventually she agreed and I thanked her before heading off in the direction of Forks.

The journey to Kim's house did not take long but it was already raining heavily by the time I reached her home. Paying no attention to the fact that it was raining and I was only wearing my denim cut-offs, I walked up the small pathway and was about to knock when I heard noises coming from inside. Loud noises.

I listened; half contemplating whether or not I should just enter and see if Kim is alright. Something tells me I shouldn't. Deep down, in my gut, I somehow know I'm not going to like what I find. Inside, my wolf is going crazy. Snarling and spitting.

I hear a scream but I know it's not a scream of pain or fear. It's a scream of pleasure; one I'm very much accustomed to hearing. Except, this time, it's not my name being screamed from my imprint's lips. It's someone else's.

Backing away, I decide to get the hell out of there. I'd heard enough. More than enough. Me and Kim were over and as soon as she showed her face I'd tell her so.

Getting back to La Push seemed to take no time at all. I drove on auto-pilot and paid little attention to my surroundings. I felt both betrayed and numb at the same time; like I was watching my life from outside of my body. What had I done to deserve such a thing? I had loved Kim. I'd protected her.

Before I knew it, I was on Emily's doorstep, banging on the door. Usually I would just walk. I didn't know why I was knocking. I vaguely registered laughter coming from the inside and the door opened to reveal Ellie. Her laughter ceased immediately and her face contorted with worry. Maybe my face wasn't as blank as I thought it was.

"Jared?"

I collapsed to my knees.

"Paul! Sam!"

Ellie's voice echoed out and I looked up to see Paul and Sam standing by her side; both of their faces matching Ellie's.

"What the fuck happened?" Paul asked.  
"I don't know. I opened the door and he just collapsed."  
"Jared?"

Sam pulled me to my feet and stared at me.

"What's going on? Are you hurt?"  
"Kim…" I managed to croak out. "Kim…cheated…"


	5. Chapter 5

**Hello my fellow wolf-lovers :D Thank you for all your kind comments, followings etc on the last chapter. As per the request of momoXvolturi I have made a slight change to the dynamic of Paul/Ellie/Jared's love triangle. They planted a seed in my head and so this chapter is dedicated to them as I hope it shows the beginnings of the development :) **

**A big thank you to ThatDayDreamer; momoXvolturi; sweetdreams705; RebornRose1992 and BiancaTSparrow101 for reviewing on the last chapter. Each one made me smile :) xx**

**Ps. Sorry for any mistakes and since I stupidly forgot to say in my previous chapters, I DO NOT own Twilight or any of its characters. All rights belong to Stephanie Myer and her 'writing talent'. Not even Paul belongs to me *sigh* **

**Ellie's POV**

"That back-stabbing, whore!" I yell once Sam and Paul have Jared seated on the sofa.

I had listened in disbelief as Jared divulged the events of the day. I simply could not understand why Kim would cheat on Jared. He was my closest friend on the reservation and as his ex-girlfriend, I knew first hand that he was one of the sweetest and kindest guys around. I had seen it in the way he'd attended to every one of Kim's needs and wishes during the past four years. Jared had loved her unconditionally and this was how she chose to repay him?

"Calm down, babe."

I heard Paul's voice address me and I turned to see him staring at me with concern in his beautiful, brown eyes. Usually, just the simple act of him telling me to remain calm would be enough to make me relax, but not this time. Inside of me, something had snapped and I was beyond furious with Kim for what she had done.

"No! That bitch cheated on him! On Jared! What the hell is there to be calm about?!" I shout back at Paul, seeing him flinch slightly at my words.

My birth may not have made me a full-blooded Quileute but I had lived on the reservation my entire life. I was knowledgeable in The Legends of The Tribe and had spent many years with The Pack. My skin may have been a different colour and I may not have been a shape-shifter but I was every part a member of The Pack even without being an imprint. They were my boys, my family, and Kim had hurt one of them.

"Ellie, listen to him. Just calm down. This isn't helping." said Sam, his eyes full of fear and concern.

Sam addressing me sent me off into another fit of rage. Why weren't they as angry as I was? One of our own had been betrayed by his imprint. That's when a realisation hit me. Sam and Paul were worried. If Kim could cheat on Jared after nearly four years of being his imprint then what did that mean for Sam and Emily? Me and Paul? Obviously, imprinting wasn't as infallible as everyone thought it was.

My moment of distraction ended quickly and I went back to being furious about Kim's infidelity.

"I don't care, Sam. She's his imprint and she betrayed him."  
"I'm well aware of that, Ellie, but you need to calm down." Sam replied through gritted teeth, now standing in front of me and towering about me. "Honestly, sometimes you're as bad as Paul."

I roll my eyes at Sam's comparison. Sure, I had a temper but it was nothing compared to Paul's. At least I didn't turn into a giant wolf every time I lost control of my temper.

A scoff escapes my throat and I fold my arms over my chest, ignoring my brother's gaze. Eventually, I feel him turn away from me and order Paul to gather up the rest of the Pack for an emergency meeting. Jared remains silent and I storm off to my room to do as Sam and Paul suggested and calm down. It was barely mid-afternoon but already I wanted the day to be over.

It was an hour later when I finally emerged from my room. The sound of booming voices drifted up the stairs and I followed them down and into the living room. Embry, Jared and Seth were sat on the sofa munching on Emily's blueberry muffins whilst Leah and Quil sat on the matching chairs that faced the TV. Sam, Emily, Jake and Paul were no-where to be seen but from the sounds eliminating from the kitchen, I assumed that's where they would be found.

My eyes meet Embry's and I smirk when his faces pales a little and he averts his eyes. I still haven't forgotten about his actions this morning. None of that matters though. There are more pressing issues to be concerned with.

I frown a little at the lack of seating and consider asking one of the guys to move. I know they would but it seems impolite to ask them to give up a seat for me. I'm pulled from my thoughts by Leah who's speaking to me in a low voice.

"Hey, I'm sorry about this morning."  
"It's fine, Lee-Lee."

I smile at her and a spark of happiness settles within me when I see relief wash over her face and she smiles back.

"What happened this morning?" Seth asks, inquisitive as always as I plonk myself down on Jared's lap and steal the muffin out of his hand.

I see Leah raise her eyebrows at me and I return her look. Neither Seth nor Embry bat an eyelid at my actions. My friendship with Jared has always been a intimate one.

My teeth sink into the half-eaten muffin and moan quietly at the sweet taste of the blueberries. Although Leah was, and always had been, my best-friend and I would always take her side regarding the Emily/Sam/Leah triangle, I couldn't deny that I liked Emily. Her blueberries muffins were my weakness and it was her baking abilities eventually made me warm to her during the early stages of her relationship with my brother.

With my back to Jared, I feel his body tense a little as the moan escapes me.

"Dude, are you okay?" Embry asks.

I twist my body so I can see Jared's face and I notice a pained expression on his face. From the chair Quil barks loudly with laughter and wiggles his eyebrows at Jared.

"Yeah, Jared, are you okay?"  
Quil's tone of voice is full of mischief and I shoot Jared a questioning look. He smiles weakly at me and shrugs his shoulders as if to tell me that he had now idea what Quil's going on about. I didn't miss the glare he sent Quil's way and I wonder what's going on between the two of them.

Another snigger leaves Quil's mouth and this time we Seth pays attention too.

"Shut up, Quil." Jared fires back, his voice lined with annoyance.  
"Hey, Elle, just let me know if you need saving from Mr Touchy over there." Quil pipes up, smirking.

A growl erupts from Jared's chest; the rumble vibrating through my own body. I feel a blush creep up and into my cheeks as the memory of Jared dancing with me last night comes to the forefront of my mind. What really bothers me though is the nagging feeling in the pit of my stomach. I quickly recognise it as anger. I'm angry that Quil would even insinuate that I would need saving from Jared.

"Quil, if you don't shut up you're going to be the one who needs saving… from the bat in my closet." I reply, smiling sweetly.

Quil's smirk drops and is replaced with a look of dread. It wouldn't be the first time I'd hit one of the boys with Sam's baseball bat. I hear Seth, Embry and Leah chuckle and see that Jared is grinning unashamedly at me now. I smile back, relieved to see his familiar care-free smile back on his face.

A sense of being whole consumes me and I shake away the feeling. Where had that suddenly come from?

"What are you idiots laughing about?" I hear Sam ask as he enters the room along with Paul, Jake and Emily.

We're all here now and the room feels crowded. I turn my head away from Jared's face to find Paul and Sam staring at me. I cross my arms and stare back at them; one eyebrow slightly raised. I can see it in their eyes; they hate that I'm sitting in Jared's lap.

"Just the usual." Leah states casually. "Quil pissed Ellie off so she threatened to beat the crap out of him."  
"Quil, stop being a dick to my girlfriend.."  
"I was just offering up my services as a Knight in shining armour." replies Quil with mock hurt in his voice.  
"Why would she-"

Sam begins to question Quil but is stopped mid-sentence by a knock at the front door. I feel Jared become tense once again and I look at him quizzically. Worry flames away inside of me when I see how hard his face has become; his normally warm, chocolate brown eyes now a stormy black.

Concern floods me and I want to hug him; to make my friend feel better.

"Jared?"

He seems to understand what I'm asking him as his reply comes immediately through gritted teeth.

"Kim's here."

* * *

**Jared's POV**

Ellie's up off my lap and at the door before any of us even have time to react. She yanks the door open and I tentatively hold my breath.

"Hi, Ellie. Is Jared here?" Kim's voice rings out.

She sounds so innocent. If I hadn't have caught her cheating on earlier that day I would never have guessed that she was capable of such things. I continue to sit, everyone's eyes on me, as I listen for a reply. Kim's voice, which usually invoked love in me, made me feel numb. I wasn't even angry anymore. I just felt empty.

"Seriously, Kim? You actually think I'm letting you anywhere near Jared after what you did?"  
"I don't understand. I just came to see my boyfriend."

It's clear from the confusion in Kim's voice that she doesn't understand why Ellie is acting so hostile towards her. In the past, I would have growled at Ellie and protected Kim if such a thing occurred but now… Well, now I couldn't care less if Kim found herself on the receiving end of Ellie's temper. It was all her own doing.

"He's not your god-damn boyfriend anymore. So, how about you leave before I bitch slap you into the middle of next week?"  
"What do you mean? Jared!"

I hear Kim call for me but I do not go to her.

"Back off, Kim!"

By now, Ellie had completely left the house and was advancing upon Kim. Everyone except for myself, Paul, Emily and Sam ran to the doorway, pushing and shoving each other as they tried to get through.

"Why are you being such a bitch to me, Ellie?" asked Kim, tears evident in her broken voice.

A low growl escaped me as Kim's insult reached my ears. How dare she call my imprint a bitch!

Wait. What? Had I really just thought that aloud in my head? It couldn't be. Ellie wasn't my imprint and neither was Kim. My ties to Kim severed the moment I walked away from her house.

The same growl left Paul's mouth and I caught Sam's wandering eye as his gaze flitted between myself and Paul.

"Because you fucked someone else behind Jared's back you two-timing slut."

The sharp sound of flesh hitting flesh filled the air and was followed by a moment of crystal clear silence. I stood quickly. Who had been hurt? Inside of me, my wolf was bristling; begging me to make sure Ellie was unharmed and safe. It took every ounce of my will-power to remain rooted on the spot. It was Paul's job to care for her.

_**Ours!**_

_Not now!_

"Oh shit." I hear Seth mumble. "She hit Ellie."  
"Paul's going to kill her." Embry replies.

Before I know it, I'm storming across the room and barging my way past my Pack brothers. Every single cell in my large, russet-coloured body is screaming at me to protect Ellie whilst my wolf is yelling for release. I know without a doubt that if I phase, I would lose control and most likely do some serious damage to Kim.

I make my way to the front of the group to find Kim and Ellie rolling around on the grass; slapping, scratching and pulling at one another as they each screamed profanities in the other's face. It wasn't a fair fight. Kim was usually a gentle girl whereas Ellie had been brought up with wolves. She knew how to fight and Kim was fighting a losing battle.

"Don't you dare hit me, you lying whore!" Ellie yells as she lands another slap on the side of Kim's face.  
"Get off of me, you pale-faced slut!"

Stunned silence falls all around us as Kim's words sink in. Even Ellie stops fighting. Her face lifts up and turns to stare at us. Her eyes meet mine and a unbearable pain shoots through my chest as I feel the hurt she feels at the insult.

A menacing roar rips through the silence and all hell breaks loose. I vaguely take in the harsh tones of the others as we all advance upon the tangled mess that is Ellie and Kim, and I don't even bother to register who says what as I make a beeline for Ellie.

"What the fuck did she just say?"  
"Hell no, I'm going to kick her ass."  
"Dude, you can't hit a girl."  
"The hell I can't!"

I reach Ellie in record time and I pull her away from Kim and wrap my arms safely around her. Small tears dampen the material of my t-shirt and I softly stroke her silky, brown hair.

"Hush, baby. It's okay. I've got you."

From the corner of my eye I see Paul stalking up to us and I'm genuinely surprised when my wolf doesn't growl at him. It seems that, in this instant, we are both on the same side. Just like myself, Paul is trying to protect Ellie. After all, she's his imprint too.

Our eyes make contact and I nod in understanding. He feels the same pain that I do and he needs to be near his imprint.

"Go to Paul." I murmur into Ellie's ear.

I push her into Paul's arms and watch for a moment as relief washes over both of their faces.

In the background, it seems Sam is trying to calm things down. I hear the booming of his Alpha voice come into play as he order Seth, Quil and Embry to relax and remain where they are. Leah, it seems, is being restrained by Jacob who is straining under the effort of keeping a hold on her, whilst Emily looks on in astonishment.

"Jared?"

The timid sound of Kim's voice pulls me from my observations and I snap my head around to face her; viciously snarling at her. My wolf's glee at her fear doesn't go unnoticed.

"Go home, Kim and don't come back."  
"But-"  
"Get out of here!"  
"Jared, I didn't… She's… I'm sorry."

There are tears spilling over from her eyes and down her tanned skin past her trembling lips.

"What exactly are you sorry for? Fucking some guy behind my back or calling my best-friend a pale-faced slut?"  
"It was only one time. Can't… can't we talk about this, please?"  
"No."  
"But, I'm your imprint."

I glare at her.

"No, you're not. My wolf doesn't want you and I certainly as hell don't want you either. Stay away from me. Stay away from all of us."

I turn my back on her and walk straight over to Ellie, placing a kiss on her head before heading off home.

I ignored the calls of my Pack brothers until I could no longer hear them. The softness of my bed was welcoming and I was asleep before my head had properly hit the pillow.


	6. Chapter 6

**I am so sorry for my long absence. I had exams to do and I just did not have the time to update. Thank you to everyone who's reviewed and followed this story :) **

**A big thank you to haleygur7, FLSweet82, sweetdreams705, BiancaTSparrow101, Kisa19, RebornRose1992, momoXvolturi, XhouseofnightgrlX and ThatDayDreamer for reviewing on the last chapter. **

**PS. sorry for any mistakes and as always, I do not own Twilight or any of its characters. Only my own. **

**Paul's POV**

With my arms clutching Ellie tightly, I lift her up and cradle her in my arms as I walk away from the rest of the Pack; making the short journey to my house. After the revelation that Kim had betrayed Jared, the thought of being away from my imprint, my girlfriend, terrifies me.

Throughout all my man-whoring ways and past conquests; throughout all the times I had fought and pushed people away, Ellie had been the one constant in my life. She had always been the one I could depend on. She never put up with my shit but she always comforted me when I needed it. I had loved her long before imprinting and it bothered me still that the gods had taken so long to realise that she was perfect for me.

Seeing her crumble because of Kim's vile words pained me. It had never bothered any of us that Ellie was adopted. Her skin colour was of no importance. She was one of us and we had always protected her, loved her. Kim should have realised that The Pack would always choose Ellie over her.

It did not take long to reach the small house I had lived in all my life and I reluctantly set Ellie down on her feet so I could open the door. I watched her walk in and fling herself down on the couch. Her tears had stopped but her beautiful, pale skin was flushed red and there was no light in her eyes. She looked so broken and a growl erupted from my chest. Kim had done that.

"Babe…"  
"I'm not a slut."

Her voice sounded so small and weak.

Pulling her up from the couch, I hold her against me and rest my chin on her head. Her hands fell to my waist and I tenderly stroked her hair.

"I know that. Kim's just a bitch."  
"Is that what everyone thinks? That I'm just a pale-faced slut? Because I'm not. I'm not a slut! I don't even like Jared in that way and Kim-"  
"Kim is a bitch. She screwed up and she wants to blame it on someone other than herself."

Gently grasping her face in my hands and lifting it up so she has no choice but to look at me, I sigh when I see how her forehead has crinkled slightly with worry.

"Baby, no-one thinks of you like that. Stop worrying. We all love you. I love you."

She gives me no response. Instead, she buries her face back into my chest and I hug her even more tightly. I can smell Jared all over her and deep inside of me my wolf growls. I shouldn't feel threatened by Jared. He's my closest friend. Yet, it had taken all of my restraint not to hurt him when he'd had his arms wrapped around Ellie after her fight with Kim.

Picking her up, I sit us back down on the couch and smile when she wriggles in closer to me. With every minute that passes, my scent seeps out on to her and almost completely covers that of Jared's.

With everything that had happened in the past twenty-hours, I needed reassurance. I needed to remind her that she was mine. I needed to feel like she was mine and sitting there, with her body so close to mine I could feel her heart beating, was doing just that.

* * *

**Ellie's POV**

I woke to find myself curled up on the couch with a light blue blanket covering me and silence all around. I hadn't even realised I'd fallen asleep and disorientation set in as I slowly sat up and rubbed my aching eyes.

"Paul?"

Silence. I shouted his name again but I was met only with the sound of peace. A scrap of paper on the small coffee table in front of the couch caught my attention. Paul hadn't left me for no reason. It was his turn to patrol the border. I should have known.

The clock that hung on the wall next to the front door alerted me to the late hour. It had already passed eight in the evening meaning that I'd slept for at least five hours. How had that happened? Why had Paul let me sleep for so long? I could only imagine how worried Emily and Sam were that I'd missed dinner.

Throwing the blanket off of me, I stood and carefully folded it. Paul may have been my boyfriend but that didn't mean I was going to treat his possession with no respect. Running my fingers through my hair in an attempt to make it presentable, I made sure the room was tidy before leaving Paul's house.

The sky was a deep shade of indigo blue and the street lamps had already come on. It would only take me a little over fifteen minutes to reach the house I shared with my brother, but a rumble in the sky above caused me concern. I hoped that I would make it home before the rain began but luck was not on my side. I made it less than ten steps out of Paul's house when the heavens opened and a torrential downpour of icy cold rain started to pelt down on me.

"Great. Just great." I mutter to myself.

As if this day couldn't get any worse.

I made it less than five minutes down the road when a figure came into sight. With the rain making my hair stick to my face, my vision was slightly impaired and it took me a minute to fully realise who was standing not so far away from me.

"Ellie! What are you doing out in the rain?" Quil asks.

He stands in front of me wearing nothing but a completely soaked pair of denim cut-offs. His short, ever so somewhat curly hair is dripping but he doesn't seem fazed by the windy, wet weather. The internal body temperature of The Pack was the only thing I had ever envied about them. I loved La Push but the weather was awful most of the time.

"Oh, hey, Quil. What are you doing here?"  
"Sam sent me to look for you."  
"Well… you found me."

A frown forms on Quil's normally playful face.

"We'd better get you home. Sam and Paul will kick my ass if I let you stand out here getting sick." Quil begins, taking my hand and dragging me at a fast pace down the street. "Not to mention Jared."

It was so quiet that if I hadn't have been paying attention I wouldn't have heard him say it. Immediately, I stopped and watched as he faltered in his steps and turned to stare at me curiously.

"What?"  
"Why would Jared kick your ass if I get sick?"  
"Nothing. No reason. Can we just get a move on?"

Years of knowing Quil have taught me when he's lying and when he's hiding a secret and so I instinctively know that he's keeping something me. With the emotional rollercoaster of a day I've just had, I'm in no mood for any further drama or deceit.

"Quil."  
"It's nothing. C'mon. You're getting wet."  
"I'm already wet! Christ, Quil. I'm really not in the mood for any games right now. Just tell me!"

The internal battle is written all over his face and my curiosity peaks. So does my worry. Jared has been through enough already. The idea that there could be something else bothering him worries me.

"I can't." He state simply before my grabbing my arm tightly and once again dragging me even nearer to my house.  
"Quil!"  
"Stop asking, Ellie."  
"Is it something to do with Kim? I'm fine, you know. No lasting damage. Jared doesn't have to worry about me because Kim decided to be a cheating bitch."

I continue rambling and barely notice Quil stopping suddenly until I run straight into his rock solid back. He turns quickly and we're face to face before I even realise what is going on.

"Jesus, Ellie, use your brain. Kim is Jared's imprint but you were the one he was dancing and flirting with last night. You were the one he went to when you and Kim were fighting. He made sure you were okay. He sent Kim away and kissed you! He barely even gave a shit about Kim! What the hell does that tell you?"

I stand, open-mouthed, staring at him. My brain struggles to process what he's just told me and it's evident from the fearful look in his eyes that he's told me something I wasn't meant to know.

"Quil…"  
"Ignore me! I'm talking shit."

He shakes his almost violently and we resume walking in silence. We reach my house sooner than I had anticipated and I arrive to find Emily, Sam, Seth and Embry all waiting for me on the doorstep.

My foot is barely on the first step leading up to the porch when Sam pulls me into a bear hug. He grips me so tightly that I feel all breath leave me and I hear Emily address him.

"Sam, honey, you're hugging her too hard."

He steps away from me and my lungs welcome the air gratefully. The distress is clear in his deep, brown eyes and for a second, I realise just how much older he looks. He has so much responsible for someone so young.

"Sorry." Sam mumbles, sheepishly. "Are you okay?"  
"I'm fine, Sam. Look, not even a scratch on me."

I twirl to prove my point. There isn't a mark on me from Kim's feeble attempts of a fight.

"That wasn't what I was asking."

I know exactly what he's asking. I can see it in his eyes and on the faces of everyone present.

"They were just words."  
"You were pretty upset." Emily adds, her own facial expression matching that of my older brother's.  
"I'm okay, really. She just caught me by surprise."

Everyone steps aside and allows entrance into the house. I hear them follow me in a hand grabs at my wrist and pulls at me. I'm encased in a pair of arms and I look up to find Seth staring down at me; his childlike features marred with a mixture of worry and wonder.

"What Kim said-"  
"Leave it, Seth. I'm fine, honestly." I offer him a smile but it has no effect on him.  
"No. She shouldn't have said it. You're no a slut. She is, and we don't care what colour your skin is. We love you."  
"Yeah. We really do love you, Ellie." Embry states.  
"Thanks guys. I love you too."

I mean it. I really, honest to God love every member of The Pack.

Detangling myself from Seth's arms, I shoot everyone a smile. They all appear to visibly relax but I know, deep down, that the drama from today is far from over. Kim's actions would have serious repercussions for both Jared and The Pack as a whole. Kim knew the secrets of The Pack. Would she tell? As for Jared, would he forgive her and take her back?

A small pain shot through me at the thought of Jared accepting Kim's lame apologies and half-hearted excuses for her cheating and allowing her back into his life. The pain must have shown on my face because, suddenly, Emily is by my side and asking me if I'm feeling okay.

"Yeah, Emily, I'm okay." I bat away her concerns. "Has anyone checked on Jared?"  
"Ummm, no. Not yet." Quil says from the chair in the corner. "He made it pretty clear he wanted to be alone."  
"You can't just leave him. He doesn't really mean it when he says he wants to be alone. Someone needs to make sure he's okay."

Anxiety rises up inside of me surprisingly quickly and my feet itch to move towards the front door and go in search of my friend. My mind is screaming at me to make sure that my best-friend is doing well. Everyone has been so concerned with my welfare that nobody has given a thought to Jared and how he was feeling.

I shove past Seth and start towards the door only to prevented from doing so as Embry clutches at me and forces me to stop in my tracks.

"Where are you going?"  
"To Jared. Someone has to make sure he's okay."  
"He'll be fine, Elle." says Sam. "He's a grown man."  
"No. How would you feel if Emily cheated on you?"

From the crestfallen look on his face, I know that Sam knows I'm right. If Emily ever treated him like Kim had treated Jared it would most likely tear him apart.

"Please, he's my best-friend! Why won't you let me check on him?!"  
"He wants to be alone. He needs to be alone and you need to get into some dry clothes. Paul will be pissed if you get sick."  
"Oh god. Will everyone stop saying that!"

I scramble to break free from Embry's vice-like hold on me even though I know it's pointless for me to do so. All I want to do is see for myself that Jared is doing fine. Well, as fine as can be expected.

"Ellie, believe me, Jared doesn't need to see you right now." Quil says, now standing in front of me; his dirty brown eyes holding my own blue ones.

My mind goes back to his outburst regarding Jared only minutes before and I grudgingly stop trying to escape from Embry.

"What's going on? Embry, let go of her."

Jared's voice drifts in and Embry lets me go immediately. Quil steps aside to allow Jared closer to me and I fling myself into his arms, ignoring how wet his t-shirt is and how his floppy, dark hair is dripping water down on me.

"Are you okay? I'm so sorry about Kim."  
"I'm fine. I came to see if you were okay. Kim should never have hit you or said those things."  
"I'm okay."  
"She made you cry. She's such a bitch."

I hug him even tighter and I feel him return my hug with the same enthusiasm.

"Um, Jared. We need to talk." Sam pipes up. "Despite what Kim's done, she's still your imprint and-"  
"No, she's not. That broke the second I heard her fucking some other guy. Truth be told, Sam, me and Kim haven't been working for a while. She was too scared of my wolf and he didn't like it. He didn't want her."

An eerie silence filled the room; the only sounds those of everyone breathing. It was a long minute before Sam finally spoke again and throughout all the time that passed Jared never let me go.

"We still need to talk."  
"Not tonight. Please, Sam." I beg him. "We can deal with it tomorrow. Let him have one night."  
"Fine. Be here by noon."

Jared nods in agreement before smiling at me in thanks. His small gesture is enough to have me smiling back and him and I hug him once more.

"I need to go shower. I'm really glad you're okay, Jared."

He says nothing as I head up to the bathroom and shower; washing away the drama and emotions of the day.

* * *

It's the middle of the night when I feel Paul creep into my bed and pulls my body close to his, placing a kiss on my lips that is full of raw emotion.

"What's wrong?" I ask as Paul rubs his face into the crook of my neck.

His defeated sigh tears at my heart.

"I just- I missed you."  
"Paul."  
"I love you."  
"I love you too." I whisper back.

The room is quiet as neither of us speaks. Paul's heat radiates from him and penetrates through to my bones, heating me to my very core. I feel his hand slip beneath the top of my thin cotton bed-shorts and begin to pull them down my legs.

"Paul…"  
"Please." The desperation in his voice is utterly heartbreaking.  
"But, Sam-"  
"Please."

My bed shorts are completely discarded off and his hand works back up towards the matching vest top.

"Tell me what's wrong."

I allow him to remove the top from my body and I'm laid bare for her with the exception of a pair of lace panties. I don't need any light to know that his eyes have darkened with lust.

"I need to be inside of you."  
"Is this about Jared and Kim?"

He stills for a moment and it's all the answer I need. I don't push him any further. Instead, I welcome his touches and whisper sweet promises and declarations of love to him as he finds the reassurance he's seeking.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hello my fellow wolf lovers :) An update. Woo! I found this quite hard to write and so I'm not sure whether I like it or not. Anyway, feel free to leave suggestions as I'm actually struggling on what to write :(**

**Anyway - A big thank you goes out to sweetdreams705,ThatDayDreamer, BianceTSparrow101, RebornRose1992 and momoXvolturi for reviewing on the last chapter and for always making me smile :) xx**

**PS sorry for any mistakes!**

**Ellie's POV**

"What the hell is this?!"

I groan loudly as the sound of my brother's voice penetrates through my foggy, sleepy state. It takes me a moment to realise that he sounds furious and then I remember the night before. Paul. I snap my eyes open and sit bolt up in bed, clutching the bed sheets to my naked body despite being too warm already thanks to my boyfriend's supernatural body heat.

No, I have absolutely no desire for my brother to see me in a less than dignified state. He had already done that once before and once was more than enough. The irony of the situation did not escape me. Sam had caught me in bed with Jared four years before and now he has caught me in bed with Paul. Thank god weren't having sex during this account. That would be more humiliation than I could handle.

Sneaking a quick glance over at Paul, I feel myself blush embarrassingly and let out a squeak of surprise mixed with dread. Paul is naked. Completely butt-naked. But there are no bed sheets covering him. I send a thank you to the Gods that he was sleeping on his front so only his bare bottom and back are on show.

"Sam-"

He cuts me off before I even have a chance to explain and he grabs one of the heavy books from the bookshelf near the door and flings it at Paul. It hits him straight on the back of his head and he wakes with a loud yelp.

"Ow! What the fuck?!"

He lifts his head and his eyes meet mine as he rubs the back of his head with one of his hands.

"Did you fuck my sister in my house?"

Sam's voice comes out strained and I see that he is beginning to shake quite violently. Oh holy hell.

"Emily!"

I scream for my sister-in-law and within seconds she appears; her face consumed by worry when she takes in the scene before her. Sam's about to phase, I'm clutching my bed sheets tightly and Paul looks like a deer caught in headlights.

"Samuel Uley, you are not to phase in this house. Take it outside!"

It seems that Emily's presence has the effect I was hoping for because seconds later, Sam stops shaking. I daren't relax, though. He has a purely murderous expression on his face and I can feel the fear building up inside of me; choking me from the inside out.

"You're not allowed to see her anymore. Get dressed and get out." Sam directs towards Paul.

A rip-roaring growl rings out throughout my room and the sheer force of its intensity makes me jump where I sit. A few seconds pass before I come to my senses and realise that the animalistic sound came from Paul, whose hands have wrapped themselves around my waist and pulled me tight against his body. His normally warm, brown eyes are ringed with yellow and I know immediately that his wolf is close to the surface.

Fear grips me. What if he phases while he's still holding me? Will I end up with scars just like Emily's or will I be much more unlucky? Would I suffer damage that would end my life?

"Get off of her, Paul."  
"I'm not leaving without her."  
"You bloody well are!" Sam yelled.

His yelling only served to increase Paul's grip on my body and I felt his arms tighten almost painfully around my lungs, restricting my breathing.

"Paul… can't… breathe…" I manage to say.

He loosens his grip only a little but it's enough to allow glorious oxygen to fill my lungs.

"Get your ass dressed now. You're on double patrols until I say so." Sam states, glaring evilly at Paul who glares right back but doesn't move.

The standoff between them will only end in disaster. Sam and Paul are far too stubborn to let the other win, and Emily and I both know that the two men are only minutes away from phasing and tearing into one another with no concern for the consequences.

"Paul…" I begin carefully, gently placing my hand on his shoulder. "Please do as he says. Just go patrol. Me and Sam need to talk."

I glare forcefully at my older brother, wanting to express every ounce of rage, injustice and annoyance that I was feeling in that very moment. He stares back at me and I instantly know that the very second Paul leaves, we will erupt into a full scale argument of volcanic proportions.

"I'm not leaving you."  
"No."  
"Paul, please." I beg.  
"Fine."

It's clear from the scowl on his face that he's not the least bit happy about being made to leave me. There's no other option available though. I know in my heart that sending Paul away is the only way to avoid him getting hurt. Just the mere thought of him getting hurt while fighting with Sam physically pains me.

Next to me, Paul gives me a strained look. He can feel it. He can feel the pain I feel. Forcing myself to think of anything but my boyfriend and brother fighting one another, I give Paul a weak smile.

"You heard her. Get dressed and go join Jared and Embry on patrol." Sam orders.  
"Will you get the hell out of my room for five goddamn minutes so we can get dressed or is that too much to ask?!" I shout at Sam.

He stares at me, stunned by my outburst, before stalking from my room closely followed by Emily who offers me an apologetic smile as she leaves. The door to my room clicks shut and I fling myself down on my back with a loud sigh.

Paul remains silent and jumps up from my bed; the absence of his body is immediately evident. My bed feels much lighter but my heart feels heavier. I despise being away from Paul normally but knowing that Sam is forcing him to run double patrols for the foreseeable future, and thus, will be unable to spend time with me, is crushing me.

I do not bother to look at him as he quickly dresses, throwing on the clothes he wore the day before. He hasn't yet showered and I know that his skin will be littered with my scent and the smell of sex. I cringe internally. Two days ago nobody had any idea that Paul had imprinted on me. I already missed the simplicity of those days even with the added element of secrecy.

"Babe, you need to get dressed."

He doesn't even look at me when he addresses me and I try not to feel hurt by the monotone of his normally loving voice. I dress quickly in jeans and Paul's favourite cream jumper and prepare myself to face the wrath of Sam.

* * *

**Jared's POV**

It's the middle of the afternoon when I finish my patrol. When Paul had arrived a few hours earlier, Embry and I had been surprised. It was obvious to the both of us that Paul was furious and with the help of the Pack mind, he caught us up on the events of the morning.

I understood his predicament. Having Sam, our almighty Alpha, walk in on you in bed with his one and only sister, the apple of his eye, was not something you wanted to experience. Fortunately for Paul, he had only been sleeping. I had not been so lucky years before. The ass whooping I received was still ingrained in my memory and I remember clearly how exhausted I was after weeks of double patrols. It had taken months for Sam to trust me again. Paul was most definitely in for a rough time and I did not envy him one bit.

Seth and Quil had taken over mine and Embry's places and joined Paul and so, I found myself walking over to Emily's in the hope that she would have something delicious for me to gorge on.

I hear the shouts before I've even reached the porch steps.

"For God's sake, Sam! Why won't you just let me make my own decisions?!" Ellie yells.  
"I'm just trying to protect you."  
"From what, exactly? We've been at this for hours! Paul isn't going to hurt me!"  
"You don't know that and it isn't the point."  
"Then what is the point?"  
"I want more for you! More than a life stuck on the reservation tied to a shape shifter. You deserve more than that."

Stunned silence both inside and out. For as long as I could remember, Sam had been protective of his sister but I had never for a second thought he would think this life beneath her. True, every one of us resented the fact that we were stuck here for life but the perks of being a shape shifter made up for it. Ellie had always been around and I doubt it had ever occurred to any of us that she might one day leave La Push.

Inside, my wolf whines at the thought of Ellie leaving and I join him. Life without Ellie would be empty for all us.

"I don't care about that. I want Paul. I love Paul and I love being here. This is my home. Is Paul imprinting on me really that awful to you?"

I hear Sam let out a heavy, breathy sigh.

"Ellie, you're my little sister. I love you and I only want what's best for you and being here isn't that. You can either leave Paul willingly or I'll Alpha order him to stay away from you."  
"You wouldn't dare."  
"Don't try me."

I hold my breath as I continue to listen carefully. Ellie's voice keeps on catching and I just know that she is close to tears. My heart hurts for both Ellie and Paul. On the one hand, I would be overjoyed to have a chance to have her all to myself but that would probably land me in the same predicament as Paul. On the other hand, Paul is my best-friend and I can only imagine how badly it will tear him to pieces to be forced to stay away from his imprint.

"If you do that, Sam, I will never speak to you again."  
"Sam" Emily's soft voice whimpers. "Don't."  
"It's your choice, Ellie."

More silence. The front door swings open and I'm confronted with Ellie's fast running body. I catch a glimpse of her face as she runs past me, her chocolate coloured locks flying at behind her. She's furious.

Without thinking, I run after her. It's pure instinct. Whether as an imprint or a best-friend, I don't know and in that moment I don't care. My only concern is her welfare. Her pain is my pain and I yearn to make her suffering disappear.

"Ellie! Wait!"

She's running in the direction of Paul's house even though we both know he won't be home. I catch up to within seconds. Although speedy, she's no match for me and my hands grab her around the waist before she's even a quarter of the way to Paul's home.

"Get off me, Jared!" she shouts, her hands slapping at mine in a bid to free herself.  
"Just calm down."  
"No! I need Paul!"  
"He's not there. You know he's not. Just calm down, please." I try to reason with her.

I hold onto her for all I'm worth. She needs to calm herself. The more agitated she becomes the more myself and my wolf worry. Her emotions are affecting ours; making us crazy.

"I need Paul!" She shouts again.

Hearing her say how badly she needs another man tears straight into me and I'm glad she can't see my face. I'm almost certain I wouldn't be able to hold back and stop my face from betraying my emotional pain at her words.

"Ellie…"  
"No! Get off me! You've done enough!"  
"What?"

Confusion sweeps over me and I try to comprehend why there is venom in her voice.

"This is your fault!"

I let go of her. Her words sting me and they're much more brutal than she realises. Ellie whips her head around and her bright blue eyes glare at me. Her body is so tense she's shaking slightly.

"I'm sorry. I didn't realise I forced you into fucking Paul while your brother was in the same house." I spit out.

I regret saying it as soon as the words have fallen from my tongue and inside my wolf is angry at me for speaking to our imprint in such a degrading way.

"If you hadn't have been so bloody flirty the other night, Paul wouldn't have felt so threatened and told everyone he'd imprinted on me. We were fine as we were and you went and ruined it all!"  
"I did no such fucking thing! It was bound to come out one way or another! You were just stupid thinking you could hide it."

She continues with her rant, completely ignoring my replies. It's as if she's bottled up everything she's wanted to say to me in the last few days and now that the seal has broken, she can't stop the words that are vomiting from her mouth.

"And what the hell is Quil talking about?! And why didn't you go to Kim first? Yeah, I get it. She cheated but the imprint can't have broken that quickly! This is just bullshit! Complete and utter bullsh-"

I cut her off mid-rant. My lips crash against hers and suddenly, I'm clinging to her. My wolf is roaring in celebration as I slowly move my lips against hers.

_**Ours! Always Ours!**_

She pulls away after only a few seconds and I see bewilderment flash across her face. What the hell have I done? Panic sets in with such force that I feel it suffocating me.

"Fuck!" I yell.

I give her one last look before running off with my metaphorical tail between my legs.


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi guys! I am so so so sorry! I never meant to make you all wait so long and I feel really bad. I just had so much to deal with over the past month. I had other exams to do for my new course in September, plus dealing with a break-up after four years and then moving home. Since moving home I've been super busy and just have not had the time sit down properly and write like I used to. As a result, I'm now way behind on all of my stories :( I promise to try not to make you all wait so long next time! xxx**

**A big thank you to haleygur7, nikkali44, RebornRose1992, the most fun, sweetdreams705, Paullover23, BiancaTSparrow101, momoXvolturi and ThatDayDreamer so your awesome reviews and patience xxx**

**Ellie's POV**

Jared had kissed me. Jared Cameron. My best-friend. My first ever boyfriend. He had kissed me.

The look of embarrassment, denial and horror that had washed over the beautiful, tanned features of his face had left me in shock. So many questions ran through my confused mind; each one hitting at me like a battering ram.

Why? Why had Jared chosen to kiss me and why now of all times? A day. One single day. That's all that had passed since the devastating and public end of Jared's relationship with Kim. So why had he kissed me?

Suddenly, Quil's words began to make sense to me. Could it be true? Did Jared really want me? A jolt of pain ripped through my heart and I clutched at my chest as I felt anguish consume me. It was so overwhelmingly painful that I struggled to gasp for air. This wasn't my pain. It couldn't be. It was too filled with anger for it to be my pain.

Paul.

In the distance, I could still just about make out Jared running hurriedly away from me. Snapping my head to the side, I scanned the area - the soft littering of trees that led to the deeper depths of the forest - and locked eyes with Paul; his brown eyes smouldering with a combination of betrayal and fury.

My mouth falls open and his name falls from my lips in the lowest whisper but I know he still hears it. He always hears me.

Still clutching my chest, my beating heart pounding against my palm at what feels like a million miles a minute, I run towards Paul and reach him in just a few, short seconds.

I stop just before my body makes contact with his and he stands before me, wearing nothing but a pair of denim cut-offs, glaring; his body shaking from what I can only assume is a mixture of anger and the effort of trying to remain calm and human.

"Paul…"

"Don't."

His glare instantly silences me and another bolt of pain shoots through my aching heart. This time, I'm in no doubt that this pain is my own. Rejection seeps through my bones and into every crevice of my body. I don't even realise Paul has wrapped his arms around my waist and pulled me in close against his bare torso, until I register the extreme heat on my cheeks.

"I'm sorry." he whispers, pressing his lips to my forehead.

I shake my head lightly against his chest, wondering why on earth he's apologising to me.

"I didn't mean to upset you."

"Paul, I'm sorry…"

"Ellie, stop."

"I'm so sorry. I never meant to let him kiss me. I didn't know he was going to-"

"For Christ's sake, Ellie! I said 'stop'!"

The snap in his voice shocks me a little and I pull back from him, only to regret doing so when I feel his grip on my waist tighten to almost painful level as he attempts to prevent me from leaving. I lift my head, my blue eyes meet his brown ones, and my heart aches even more than I would have ever thought possible. The look of sheer rejection that consumes his face is more than enough to make tears spring to my eyes.

"Shit." he mutters. "Fuck. I'm sorry. Please don't cry. I'm sorry. I just didn't want you to leave me."

"You were mad."

"Of course I'm mad! My so-called best friend just kissed my goddamn girlfriend! Mad doesn't bloody begin to cover how I feel right now."

"Paul…"

Grabbing my hand, he begins to pull me along after him as he storms off down the street and past the many houses on the reservation. I put up no resistance. It would be futile to do so.

"Where are we going?" I ask, confused.

"I'm taking you home."

Confusion hits me even more. The home I share with Sam and Emily is in the other direction. Then it occurs to me. Home for Paul wasn't my house. It was his.

"You have patrols. Sam-"

"Sam can just fucking do one. I have more important stuff to deal with at the moment."

There's no denying the unmistakable tone of rage in his voice and it's a testament to his improved self-control, over the years, that he hasn't phased already.

I continue to let him drag me further and further down the street, smiling sheepishly at passers-by who eye us with suspicion and concern, until we reach the dusty porch steps that lead to the bright blue front door of Paul's red-brick house. It's a tiny thing with only two bedrooms but it's as much as a home to me as my own house is.

He hauls me up the porch steps and through the front door to his house. I barely have time to register that we're in the living room, before he's back through the front door and it slams shut loudly behind him. I hear a clicking noise and run towards the door, pulling on the handle, but it refuses to open.

"Paul!" I scream, the realisation dawning on me that he's locked me inside of his house and I have no way of getting out until he comes back for me.

Panic sets in and I wildly bang my fists against the door; each bang ringing out into the empty, silent house. I fear for Paul and I fear for Jared. Every cell in my body is certain that by the end of the day, I could lose one of them.

* * *

**Paul's POV**

Rage. Annoyance. Betrayal. Every single part of me is burning with white-hot fury. Ellie is mine. I had waited so long for her and finally the Gods had decided she was meant to be with me. Now it seems that my closest friend in the world had decided to try to lay claim to my girl.

To say that I'm pissed is definitely the understatement of the century. I know that Ellie will be furious with me once I'm finished with Jared but it's a risk I'm willing to take. He needs to be put in his place. He needs to know that Ellie is mine and mine alone. I've waited far too long to give her up without a fight. She's my imprint. My entire life. I'll be damned if I'm going to let anyone take her from me.

I follow Jared's scent all the way through the streets until I reach Sam and Emily's house. Of course he would be there. Coward.

The anger that I had felt boiling up inside of me as I had made my journey, was nothing compared to how I felt as I stared at the white front door of the house before me. I can feel it threatening to erupt from within me.

Inside of me, my wolf is aching to be released; clawing away at my insides in immense fury. He's yelling at me. Screaming at me for not marking our mate sooner. Jared is my friend but he's also a threat and he must be dealt with.

I ascend the steps two at a time, fling open the door and throw myself through and straight into the small living room that is housing a number of my Pack mates. Silence falls and every where I look, stunned expressions are staring back at me.

From the corner of my eye, I see Sam stand and glare at me.

"What the hell, Paul? You're supposed to be on patrol! Get your ass back there now!" Sam yells, clearly infuriated by my disobedience.

I ignore his shouts and head straight for the kitchen where Jared's scent is telling me he can be found. I barge past Jacob and Embry, who stop eating for a moment and gape at me as I lunge towards Jared.

My body makes contact with his and we both tumble to the ground with an almighty crash. I wonder, only for a split second, which item of furniture I have destroyed this time but I shake the thought from my mind as my fist connects with Jared's jaw. It makes a sickening crunching sound and I allow myself a small smile of pride and pleasure when I hear my friend howl out in pain.

"Paul! What the fuck, man? Get off of him!" Embry shouts, hooking his arms around my waist and attempting to drag me off Jared who has yet to fight back.

He pulls with all of his strength but it's no use. I don't even budge an inch. I raise my fist again only to find myself being forcibly separated from Jared, as Jacob joins in Embry's efforts and pulls me away from my bleeding Pack mate.

"Paul, stop!"

The booming timbre of Sam's Alpha voice forces me to stop in my attempts to free myself from Jacob and Embry's death grip on my body. Reluctantly, I feel my body relax but the alpha order does nothing to sate the anger I feel at my best-friend's betrayal.

I stare as Sam helps Jared stand and my eyes meet Jared's.

"I'm sorry." he whispers through a mouth full of blood. "I didn't mean to do it."

"So that's your excuse? You didn't mean to do it?!" I yell.

I'm so angry. So infuriated. My emotions feel like a jumbled mess. Jared has been my best-friend my entire life. My brain just can't comprehend his actions.

"You're pissed. You have every right to be, but I really am sorry, Paul."

He wipes away the blood that has trickled out so his now already healing split lip. I can see in his eyes that he means every word of his apology but neither my wolf nor I are in any mood to accept it. He's no longer my friend or my Pack brother. He's a threat to me and my mate and that's all my wolf senses.

"What the hell is going on?" Jacob asks; he and Embry having finally let me go now that Sam's alpha order is in full effect.

"That back-stabbing traitor went and kissed my goddamn imprint!"

From next to Jared, Sam visibly tenses and lets out a very audible groan.

"Why, when anything happens in this Pack, is it always you two?!" Sam yells, pointing to me and Jared.

"Jay, you didn't? After everything that happened with Kim. You two only broke up yesterday." Embry pipes up; his voice so full of disappointment that Jared averts his eyes.

"I know that. I didn't mean for any of this to happen."

"No wonder Paul wants to beat your ass." I hear Jacob state from just behind me.

"It's not my fault! I didn't bloody well ask to imprint on her!"

An eerie silence hung in the air as we all, one by one, struggled to take it what Jared had just said. Then all hell broke loose.


End file.
